Ursula von der Leyen to ask EU leaders for annual check-up on rearmament

The European Commission wants national governments to report on their weapons purchases every year to build up a picture of how the EU is rearming, according to a document dispatched to EU capitals ahead of an informal summit on Wednesday,

Under the plan, the EU executive would publish annual reports on EU countries’ purchases and how close the EU countries are to closing capability gaps, the document seen by Euractiv says. Information would be aggregated, though, to avoid revealing national security secrets.

With this move, the Commission would gain greater power in monitoring national governments’ progress in rearming – a stated goal in the EU executive’s strategy for 2030.

Leaders would receive the Commission’s “Annual Defence Readiness Report” each October, for their summit. The goal would then be to use that for leaders to “review progress and provide strategic guidance on priority actions”, the document reads.

Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius has also talked about an “Obligatory Capability Development Plan”, which echoes the same idea.

Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had previously proposed “Defence Semesters”, suggesting that the EU executive would report on progress twice a year. But Euractiv has learned that the idea was rethought and has been funnelled into an annual reporting mechanism.

The EU Military Staff (EUMS) is already gathering an overview of the EU countries’ military stockpiles and their goals, which have been shaped in large part by NATO targets and the collaborative opportunities identified by the European Defence Agency.

Big programmes

Ahead of Wednesday’s summit of leaders, the Commission also presented its ideas for four flagship defence projects.

At the top of the agenda, because of a spate of drone incidents in September, are two eastward-facing projects: the European Drone Wall, and the Eastern Flank Watch.

The Drone Wall would include “anti-drone capabilities for detection, tracking, and neutralisation, as well as capabilities to hit ground targets”, the Commission explains in the document.

Distinct from the Drone Wall, the Eastern Flank Watch would act not only against drones, but also against “hybrid operations”, the text says, suggesting a broader scope of threats to consider (e.g. cyber, disinformation, migration).

The other two proposed projects are an Air Defence Shield and a Space Defence Shield. The document does not specify what those projects would entail but they have been mooted during Kubilius’ term in office.

In a new step, the Commission’s text mentions that it “should update its competition and state aid frameworks, notably to help foster greater defence industrial cooperation between Member States” – a controversial and sensitive topic, due to the lack of harmony among EU countries.

The document has been prepared ahead of Wednesday’s summit, where EU leaders are expected to give the Commission feedback on its ideas. After that, the executive is expected to reflect on leaders’ takes before it publishes its Readiness Roadmap on 16 October.

(cp)